Daily Archives: November 17, 2016

College National Finals Rodeo team roping championship over the weekend, earned a big payday at the Bob Feist Invitational on Monday in Reno, Nevada.

The team of Thorp and Zac Small won the prestigious one-day roping title with a time of 42.71 seconds on six runs. The two split $130,000 for their accomplishments — $124,000 for winning the average and an additional $6,000 for their work in earlier runs.

Thorp is currently No. 4 in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world heeling standings while Small is No. 5 in heading.

In other rodeo action in Reno, Feather River College teammates Clayton Biglow and Wyatt Denny currently sit second and third, respectively, in the first round of bareback bronc riding at the Reno Rodeo.

Manzanares, a freshman, is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation in breakaway roping after winning the 2016 Southern Region championship in the same event. She is also ranked 15th in the nation for the all-around cowgirl honors and was the region’s reserve champion in this category. She placed third in the region in goat tying.

Manzanares said it “was cool” about competing in her first CNFR and being ranked so highly in an event, but she is no stranger when it comes to competing in rodeos at both the state and national levels. She won three Louisiana High School Rodeo Association goat tying championships, two all-around championships, and a breakaway roping championship. She also won two National High School Rodeo Association all-around championships, a rookie all-around championship and a goat tying championship.

“Mia’s accomplishments are amazing especially since she competed a third of the season on a torn ACL in her left knee,” said McNeese rodeo coach Justin Browning. She plans to have surgery after nationals.

Taylor Santos walked away with his first national championship in the tie-down roping at the 2014 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) as a freshman.

When he earned that title he was competing for Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo. He qualified again last year competing for Cal Poly. Then in the fall, he made the journey to Texas moving to Huntsville and joining the ranks of the Sam Houston State University Bearkats.

He had a blazing-fast run in the third round at the first performance of the rodeo on Tuesday night, stopping the clock in 7.5 seconds. That is the fastest time here so far through two preliminary rounds held on Monday and Tuesday.

His success in the third round gave him command of the overall standings. He has a total time of 29.2 seconds on three runs. Ben Walker from the University of Tennessee – Martin is in second with 31.3.

Santos, who is from Creston, Calif., was just one-tenth of a second off of the arena record of 7.4 seconds set at the 2015 CNFR by Blane Cox from Hill (Hillsboro, Texas) College. He now has to wait through three more performances to see if he qualifies for Saturday night’s final round and has a chance to earn another championship here.

The 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo rides into Las Vegas Dec. 1-12, and Treasure Island serves as the event’s official sponsor hotel with room packages, food and beverage specials and live entertainment.

Head over to Gilley’s Saloon, Dance Hall & Bar-B-Que nightly Dec. 7-12 for shows from country musicians LoCash. The duo, who wrote “Truck Yeah” for Tim McGraw and “You Gonna Fly” for Keith Urban, sing their own songs “Keep in Mind” and “I Love This Life” during shows after the rodeo finishes each day. Special guests Rainey Qualley joins them Dec. 7-9, and Olivia Lane opens Dec. 10-12 for these $10 shows.

LAS VEGAS –

Steven Peebles nearly died just five months ago. On Saturday, he left the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Polaris RANGER with a haul that he only could’ve imagined in his wildest dreams.

The 26-year-old from Redmond, Ore., captured the bareback riding world title, the WNFR average championship and the RAM Top Gun award.

Peebles rode for 83.5 points on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Good Time Charlie to split the Round-10 win and move ahead of four-time World Champion Kaycee Feild by $10,523 after Feild failed to earn a check aboard Frontier Rodeo’s Times Up.

“I tried not to get any butterflies before I got on my horse, and I wanted to have a lot of energy and fight,” Peebles said. “I stared at the horse and just kept saying to myself, ‘He isn’t faster than me. He isn’t faster than me.'”

The horse was just the right speed for Peebles, who was simply thankful to be alive and competing in Las Vegas. He almost lost his life in July after suffering a broken rib that nicked an artery and filled his lungs with blood at the Livingston (Mont.) Roundup. He was rushed to the hospital and made it without a moment to spare as doctors were able to drain his lungs and save his life.

The long weekend starts with the sponsor dinner, provided by Mano and the Red House BBQ gang, Thursday evening, Aug. 18, when we acknowledge and show our appreciation to our many valued sponsors and committee members. This year members of the public are invited to attend with a pre-purchased $13 ticket. Friday, Aug. 19 evening brings our first PRCA performance into the arena at 7 p.m. Saturday the 20th is another fun-filled day with entries in the parade, a 6 p.m. rodeo performance, and big rodeo dance that follows the rodeo featuring a live band. Dance tickets are available at the gate.

All rodeo performance tickets are available throughout town at ticket outlets at a discount price. Rodeo gates will open two hours before the performance start time so come early and browse “vendor’s row” where our fans can get their rodeo “bling” on. Items from jeans to jewelry and for horse to house will be available, along with food and drink for all ages. And don’t forget the popular dollar dig for kids 8 and under, with paid admission, will happen during each performance.

This year the rodeo athletes will be competing for a total purse of more than $30,000. The dollars and the need to earn points toward the “Ram Rodeo California Circuit Finals” and the “Wrangler National Finals Rodeo” berths will again bring top rodeo cowboys and cowgirls from near and far to our community to compete in our rodeo.

Gilley’s also gets in the cowboy spirit with the Naughty Cowgirl, a cocktail with Crown Royal Regal apple whiskey, amaretto liqueur and cranberry juice. Order up two-for-one Crown Royal, Crown Apple and Bulleit or $20 buckets of Bud Light and $4 14-ounce draft beers from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the rodeo.

Fans can meet NFR bull riders and nab their autographs at Gilley’s on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at noon.

wATcH National Final Rodeo 2016 Live stream

After qualifying in their respective state finals, Cooper McClain, David Jones and Cody Lansing are heading to the 12th annual National Junior High Finals Rodeo in Lebanon, Tennessee, from June 19-25.

With well-worn saddles, scuffed boots and faded jeans, some of the cow punchers in the rodeo looked like they’d just finished working at the loading pens. But give them a rope and a smart horse, and remarkable things can happen.

The red hot sounds of jazz will cut through the autumnal air this weekend at the Southern tip of New Jersey. The Exit Zero International Jazz Fest will take place Friday to Sunday in Cape May at the following locations: Cape May Convention Hall, Carney’s Other Room, Aleathea’s, Iron Pier Craft House, Schmidtchen Theater, Cabana’s, and Carney’s Main Room. All of these venues are within walking distance of each other, making it easier for festival-goers to bounce from show to show. The festival will be headlined by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring the legendary Wynton Marsalis (Saturday),

Now in its 21st year, the WRCA championship also serves as a fundraiser for a related foundation that helps cowboys in crisis and gives scholarships to ranch kids. Over the last two decades, it has distributed more than $2 million.

After competing for just half the year last season, Jones, 13 of Dolores, is in his first full rodeo season. He advances to nationals after finishing fourth place in tie-down roping at the Colorado Junior High Rodeo Association State Finals and is working with Kyle Polish to prepare for his first run in Tennessee on Tuesday.

The NHSFR is the “World’s Largest Rodeo,” featuring approximately 1,500 contestants from across the United States, Canada and Australia. The national finals can be seen live on CINCHtv.com

Riann qualified for barrel racing at the 2015 finals but due to no fault of her own was unable to attend. This year she stepped it up and qualified in both barrel racing and pole bending. She also will be representing Michigan as a member of the highly sought after Cinch All Star Team.

When asked after she found out she had qualified Riann said, “I worked really hard to make it again this year. My horse was injured at the beginning of the season and I couldn’t run her at two of the rodeos. I wasn’t sure if I could actually make up those missed points. Every rodeo and every point is so important because there are great riders with some really good horses in the Michigan High School Rodeo Association! “

Overall it’s a party that’s hard to describe if people haven’t joined in with the Black Hills Roundup’s National Finals Rodeo sendoff.

It’s why everyone is invited.

This year’s sendoff for the area’s top rodeo talent opens at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Branding Iron. The Black Hills Roundup Committee offers an opportunity to meet with committee people, top PRCA rodeo competitors and rodeo queens.

The committee reported they weren’t certain yet which of the area’s top riders, ropers and queens would be on hand, but promised a good time with autographs, annual cowboy auction and live music with Dakota Country to close the night.

Each honoree was presented with a bronze Rodeo Hall of Fame medallion by Tarleton President F. Dominic Dottavio and head rodeo coach Mark Eakin.

Members of the 2016 class of inductees joining the Tarleton State University Rodeo Hall of Fame are (l-r) Ronnie Ray, Levi Garcia, Debbie Garrison, Kurt Kiehne and Richard “Tooter” Waites. Tarleton held its annual Rodeo Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 12.

About this year’s Rodeo Hall of Fame inductees:

Following his graduation from Onida High School in 1953, Jim went to South Dakota State to play basketball. “I wouldn’t have gone to college if it wouldn’t have been for basketball,” said Jim. “I was pretty well entrenched here.” While at State, Jim earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Husbandry and in Physical Education.

The success Jim had had in high school ball continued in college, and he was drafted to play for the Minneapolis Lakers. “I had no reservations about where I was going to end up,” said Jim. “I played a lot of basketball, and never got cut from the Lakers.”

“We had a horse sale in October every year. I was at training camp, and I knew when I went there, I’d be home for the horse sale. That’s when I made up my mind I was going to ranch instead of play basketball.”

“I guess I think I made the right decision. They weren’t paid like they are now. They didn’t hardly get their rooms paid when they went places to play. It was a pretty tough racket.”

Even while Jim was in college, the Suttons were part of the Sutton Rodeo business. “I can remember being a rodeo secretary before Steve was born, so we were doing rodeos at that time,” said Julie. “Jim was involved with his dad.”

The Suttons conducted livestock sales – horses, buffalo and registered Herefords – for 55 years. “The first sales were in a tent, but after a few years, we built the sale barn that’s still at the ranch,” said Jim, who got his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) card in 1960, and joined the Sutton Rodeo Company partnership in 1968.